The biggest takeaway from the final presidential debate had less to do with debate performance and more about the election’s outcome. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told viewers on Wednesday that he’d “keep you in suspense” rather than accept the results of the general election.
As moderator Chris Wallace was quick to point out, this goes against the “tradition in this country, in fact, one of the primes of this country… the peaceful transition of power.” Trump’s dangerous rhetoric prompted surrogates and prominent GOP supporters alike to contradict him, including Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who both claimed Trump would concede peacefully.
The morning after, Trump’s not so sure. “I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election if I win,” Trump stated at a rally on Thursday in Dayton, Ohio.
According to Talking Points Memo, Trump then contradicted that statement and, later in the rally, further elaborated on the legal action he’d potentially take if the election results don’t go his way. He claimed to be willing to follow tradition, then followed that statement up with “bottom line, we’re going to win.”
Not exactly the most encouraging, clear-cut answer, especially to millennials. Based off data obtained by Yik Yak, an overwhelming majority of those polled believe that Trump will refuse to accept the results of the election.